I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 606

The heroes here are proud warriors. Many of them also represent their respective organizations. The fact that the martial arts tournament is a team competition to determine the strongest party on this front line already demands fierce competition, and with the added stake of qualification for the Black Dragon subjugation battle, it’s bound to be motivating.

“Until the fall festival, there won’t be any battles with monsters… but I hope this gives you all something to do.”

Originally, I was just going to let them rest, but I changed my mind. I decided to give them something to focus on. It seemed like it would be better for my peace of mind.

“Rest well to recover, and then prepare for the martial arts tournament at your own pace.”

I nodded and stepped back.

“That’s all! Now, everyone, I wish you a good vacation.”

After declaring a special training season disguised as a vacation, I left the hall. Dusk Bringer was leaning against the hall entrance. I brushed past her and whispered.

“The side that achieves the higher score in this martial arts tournament will have command of the Black Dragon subjugation battle, Archduke.”

“So, this is how it’s going to be…”

Dusk Bringer smiled menacingly.

“Very well, I will prepare with all my might. You better be ready, Bonehater.”

I grinned back.

“I look forward to it, Archduke.”

The heroes who remained in the hall hurriedly began to gather their parties. Their faces, as they began to hold serious meetings, were even full of life. It was a pity that they could only find peace in battle, not in rest. At the same time, the situation on this front line, which was becoming so extreme, also made my stomach churn.

“…Hah.”

I, too, felt a fire starting to burn in my gut. The strongest party on the monster front? That’s obviously the party I’m leading. I’ll be the one winning this martial arts tournament, and I’ll be the one wielding command in the Black Dragon subjugation battle. There’s no other way it could be…!

***

After that, the monster front began to move busily on its own. It was nominally a vacation period, but the heroes trained more diligently than ever. I felt a little guilty for crushing their precious vacation with a single order, but these guys are professionals. They’ll take the rest they need on their own. Also, behind the scenes, various parties were forming alliances, trading members, transferring and being transferred, and busily reorganizing their parties. The martial arts tournament I announced was a 5-on-5 battle. I said that I valued the unity of the members moving as one, but that was just a selection criterion for the Black Dragon subjugation battle. The martial arts tournament itself would ultimately be a full-scale battle. The existing parties were strongly categorized by role. There were many cases where a party was full of only mages, or only warriors. Their tendencies were too biased, and they often couldn’t exert their optimal combat power in these party-based battles. So, for this martial arts tournament, the heroes began to find the strongest combinations themselves. As a result, they started exchanging members among themselves. The parties that had been divided by profession, origin, gender, and age. With the start of the martial arts tournament season, they began to mix and create unprecedented chemistry.

“…”

No, honestly, I never expected the situation to unfold like this. Every evening in the plaza, in the restaurants, in the pubs and cafes… I could easily see people who hadn’t even greeted each other before naturally mingling and discussing martial arts tournament tactics. I found these scenes amazing and also… this might sound a bit strange, strangely touching. People who had been divided and wary of each other because of race, country, religion, and values. Seeing them mix together and eat and drink tea as if they had never cared about such things. It was so good that I kept watching for days.

‘…Well, good is good.’

Since I was also aiming to win the martial arts tournament, I couldn’t just sit around. I had to go through a lot of trouble to take out all the divided main party members and re-register them in my party. Lukas from ‘The Old Guys,’ Evangeline from the Shield Knight party, Damian from the Sniper party, and Junior from the Mage party… I barely managed to trade them by offering huge sums of money, various benefits, and newly recruited heroes with suitable conditions to replace them. Ugh, it was tough!

“But this chaotic mixing of members, behind-the-scenes deals, bluffing, negotiations, and persuasion are all part of the fun of the stove league. Hehehe.”

In the lord’s mansion, in my office. As I muttered a term from Earth’s professional sports and grinned slyly, Evangeline, who was sitting on the sofa in front of me and munching on fruit, narrowed her eyes.

“You’re saying things I don’t understand again… What’s a stove league?”

A stove league. It refers to the off-season between professional sports seasons. It’s the time when teams and players negotiate contract terms, draft rookies, and make trades, reorganizing their teams. …It’s a bit much to explain all that, so I just glossed over it.

“It’s something like that. You don’t need to worry about it, you four calves.”

“Huh? Four calves?” Evangeline tilted her head with wide eyes. “What do you mean?”

“That’s the transfer fee I gave to the Shield Knight party to bring you here.”

To bring this calf-like girl knight, I gave the Shield Knight party, where Evangeline originally belonged, four calves. Of course, the price had to be paid from my personal vault. Sob… my money…

Only then did Evangeline understand my words, and she suddenly became smug, lifting her chin and laughing.

“Well, it’s only natural that the knights would get a calf each for taking such a top-tier talent! Mwahaha!”

“…How much was I worth, my lord?” Lukas, who was next to her, reducing his [Bestowed Sword] to a fruit knife size to cut fruit, asked casually. There was no reason to hide it, so I answered immediately.

“A bag of gold coins.”

“What?!” Evangeline jumped up in shock. I grumbled and picked at my ear.

“Ugh, Lukas’s original party… was it ‘The Old Guys’? Torkel and Jenice didn’t ask for anything, but Chain and Nobody, those two nasty guys, were against it until the end. I gave them a generous casino fund, and only then did they allow the transfer.”

“A, a bag of gold coins…” Evangeline muttered, looking dejected. Calves aren’t cheap, but there are several cities with large-scale livestock farming nearby. A bag of gold coins is much more expensive than four calves.

“…Heh.” Lukas silently wore a victorious smile, neatly arranging the cut fruit on a plate and presenting it to me. Evangeline, who was trembling next to him, snatched the plate of fruit offered to me, shoved it into her mouth, and shouted urgently.

“Then, how much did you give for Junior, how much?!”

“Junior… when I said I was taking her, Deermudine, who is currently in charge of managing all the mages, was against it again. I barely managed to negotiate…” At the following words, Junior scratched the top of her hat awkwardly, and Evangeline’s mouth dropped open.

“They asked for land to build a Crossroads branch of the Ivory Tower later. I gave them some land in the abandoned village in the north.”

“Land?! Laaand?! You gave them land rights?!”

“Well, that’s how it went…” Even though the land value in this border region doesn’t have any real estate value. Even so, it’s much more expensive than four calves or a bag of gold coins. Evangeline’s fist trembled, and somehow Lukas also slumped his shoulders and went ‘Uoong-‘. What are you two doing?

“Then last! What about Damian, what about him?!” As Evangeline shouted and pointed towards the door, Damian, who was just opening the office door and entering, was startled and his shoulders shook. I gestured for Damian to come in and eat some fruit, then lifted my teacup and confessed.

“…I decided to make a magic rifle for each member of the Sniper party.”

“Magic rifles?!” And SR-grade ones at that. Four SR-grade weapons are worth a fortune. In fact, it cost the most out of these four.

“Hehe, our sniper party members have all been working hard… If they have good weapons, they’ll be better at defeating stronger enemies!” Damian, who had taken a seat, muttered with an expensive… no, a kind face. Thud! Evangeline, unable to hold on any longer, collapsed to her knees on the floor. And in a trembling voice, she uttered.

“I’m… I’m the cheapest… I’m the bargain sale…!

“Hey, don’t underestimate calves. They plow fields, carry loads, and grow up to be a reliable foundation for the household.” They are the most helpful livestock in human history. Even in the Joseon Dynasty [Korean Dynasty from 1392 to 1897], a cow was like the pillar of the house. I threw out a silly remark and smelled the tea in my hand. At the same time, I thought.

‘I wanted to break up Dusk Bringer’s party too…’

Unfortunately, the four knights under the Dragon Lady were so loyal to her that they didn’t budge at my transfer offers. Since destroying the transfer market of a rival team is also a legitimate strategy in the stove league, I was also considering all sorts of dirty tactics… but the Dragon Blood Knights were so tight-knit that it didn’t work properly. Tch.

‘…Wait, aren’t I getting too immersed in this team owner role?’

But if it’s fun, it’s okay. Isn’t this also a way to enjoy a vacation, an off-season? The transfer fees I paid can also be seen as bonuses for the hardworking heroes, if you look at it broadly.

“Anyway, so!” I opened my mouth, looking around at the assembled main party – the strongest force on the monster front. “Calf, bag of gold coins, land deed, expensive equipment. The four of you will be participating in this martial arts tournament under my command.”

“At least call us by our names! By our names!” The calf went ‘Moo-‘. I ignored it and continued.

“We’ve been working together for a long time, so there’s no doubt about our team synergy… but even so, we’ll need separate training to move as one.”

I’ve said it many times. The Black Dragon Legion must be attacked by a small elite force, and each of them is a powerful raid boss. And in order to break through the wide-area patterns used by the dragon species, we need to train to move as one beforehand.

‘This training will also be useful in this martial arts tournament.’

If we can move as one in a team battle, a 5-on-5 PVP situation, we’ll obviously be able to fight better. It will definitely be helpful. I put the teacup in my hand on the desk and was about to tell them about the training we five would be doing. That’s when it happened.

Du-du-du-du-! A loud mechanical sound that seemed to tear through the air suddenly rang out. Huh? The vibration was so intense that the teacup on the desk rattled. The startled party members jumped up from their seats.

“Oh, are they already here?” Only I, who had been informed in advance, sat calmly and spoke. Lukas asked me urgently.

“My lord, what is this vibration…?”

“Ah.” I smiled wryly, slowly put on my coat, and got up from my seat. “They’re guests who came from the north after seeing my proclamation… I should go greet them.”

***

Tu-tu-tu-tu-tu- The loud noise filled the sky above Crossroads. We, who had rushed out to the front of the Crossroads South Gate (where it used to be), looked up at the sky. Heavy ships made of steel were flying in formation, crossing the city from the north… and slowly approaching the southern plains. The Everblack Empire’s air fleet. The remaining air fleet forces stationed in the capital, New Terra, had been dispatched to Crossroads all at once. Kiiiiiing- Thud! More than ten airships began to drop the cargo containers they had been carrying under their bellies onto the southern plains. Except for one. Thud-! Chiiiiik… One airship, which was particularly ornately decorated and the only one not carrying a cargo container, landed first in front of the South Gate ruins. The hatch slowly opened, and soldiers poured out of the ship in an orderly fashion. And, at the end of the line of soldiers…

“Hmm~” The man descended. A middle-aged man with black hair, taking a long breath, smiled, revealing his teeth. “I felt it last time too, but this place definitely smells better than the cramped capital. The border.” The ruler who governs half the world smiled. “I like it.”

I rushed to him, bowed deeply, and then. I spoke with sincerity.

“Thank you for coming so far, Father…!”

The sole emperor of the empire. Traha ‘Peacemaker’ Everblack patted my shoulder.

“Yes. My Bonehater. Have you been well? I came myself after seeing the proclamation you sent.” The emperor looked around left and right, then whispered in my ear.

“…So, when does the festival start?”

I smiled awkwardly. It’s still a few days away, Your Majesty!